Do i need to leave the engine running whilst using the wash and reach system?

[aquadeencleaning]

Hi guys, newbie here.

So ive Brough a window cleaning van and had my 1st customer. As I was cleaning the windows I noticed the power was becoming abit slow then it stopped completely then I went to the back of the van and the pump had gone off I turned it back on then it work for a few seconds then back off again. So I turned the engine on then it worked.
Am I ment to leave the engine running whilst using this system ?

Also the left side pump doesn't pump out any water either not really too sure

Probably a really dumb question but I've gone into this a bit blind as far as the equipment goes

 

[Cghwindowcleaning]

No you don’t need to leave the engine running.
It could be your battery in no good or that you’re not driving for long enough for your split charge to work properly.
If I do a couple of days of big jobs with minimal driving I bench charge the leisure battery as it can drain due to not getting enough charge.

 

[ched999uk]

You should have a leisure battery (big car battery type thing) somewhere in the back of the van. This needs mains charging everyday! Get yourself a cheap multimeter like this one: Budget multimeter less than £8 learn how to use it via youtube. Then you can test leisure battery and where the pump issue is.

 

[aquadeencleaning]

No you don’t need to leave the engine running.
It could be your battery in no good or that you’re not driving for long enough for your split charge to work properly.
If I do a couple of days of big jobs with minimal driving I bench charge the leisure battery as it can drain due to not getting enough charge.

Thank you !

 

[aquadeencleaning]

You should have a leisure battery (big car battery type thing) somewhere in the back of the van. This needs mains charging everyday! Get yourself a cheap multimeter like this one: Budget multimeter less than £8 learn how to use it via youtube. Then you can test leisure battery and where the pump issue is.

Yeah there is a big battery in the back but how can I mains charge it ? Its wired up and looks like a car battery. How would you go about charging this then? Sorry mate I don't have a clue with this stuff

 

[spruce]

Hi guys, newbie here.

So ive Brough a window cleaning van and had my 1st customer. As I was cleaning the windows I noticed the power was becoming abit slow then it stopped completely then I went to the back of the van and the pump had gone off I turned it back on then it work for a few seconds then back off again. So I turned the engine on then it worked.
Am I ment to leave the engine running whilst using this system ?

Also the left side pump doesn't pump out any water either not really too sure

Probably a really dumb question but I've gone into this a bit blind as far as the equipment goes

What you have inadvertently discovered is that the system works fine, it's just the leisure battery that's the problem. As other have started, either your leisure battery needs charging or it needs replacing if it doesn't hold a charge.

In the diy section i wrote a thread about leisure battery charging and how some van designs effect this. This was written around lead acid battery charging.

https://windowcleaningforums.co.uk/threads/split-charge-relay.22375/

I will add another section regarding the use and charging of lithium batteries in due course.

 

[spruce]

You should have a leisure battery (big car battery type thing) somewhere in the back of the van. This needs mains charging everyday! Get yourself a cheap multimeter like this one: Budget multimeter less than £8 learn how to use it via youtube. Then you can test leisure battery and where the pump issue is.

We need to be a jack of all trades in this business.
We need to know electrics, mechanics, sales techniques, accounts, business acumen and skillful at cleaning windows. We also need to be good canvassers and debt collectors.

We also need good observation skills to know when we need to drop a customer who starts to mess us around.

We also need to be continually diplomatic even when a customer doesn't deserve it as we value our reputation.

 

[ched999uk]

Yeah there is a big battery in the back but how can I mains charge it ? Its wired up and looks like a car battery. How would you go about charging this then? Sorry mate I don't have a clue with this stuff

You should be able to charge it with a decent 12v battery charger like this https://www.tayna.co.uk/battery-chargers/numax/leisure-12v-10a
You attach it to the terminals of the battery, +ve to +ve, - ve to - ve. Plug it into the mains and overnight it should be back to fully charged. You can only pull approximately 50% of the rated AH of the battery before damaging it. 50% is approximate 12.0v rested (nothing pulling g power from battery for a few hrs).
Always best to mains charge each night to give battery best life.
You might have damaged to one you have.